We can basically talk about indie titles and not just Xbox titles, Indie titles in genera

Excellent; That will work well as I think a lot of the xna devs I'm familiar with are pretty seriously looking at moving away from the 360 as the main platform for releases.This might help us share our experiences better and help each other decide/thrive on whichever portal/platform we venture out onto.

These forums need a direct Reply button so we don't have to go and edit away the quotes each time...

As for the RPG, I sincerely hope someone is planning to do something original with one soon as I'm getting pretty sick of these "Oh, it's just like FFVII" games that keep popping up; Originality is the indie's only weapon but people seem totally reluctant to use it.

It's in play test at the moment and it's had quite positive responses and a ton of good feedback for polishing.Most of the music is still in the works, but the title theme is for all intents and purposes done and it sounds FANTASTIC!The next game is lined up and it's bound to be even better than DataStream, but I'll keep mum on it until I have something playable just in case it sucks.

I was interested when I saw that you'd be doing a retro series based on classic games; it's great because new age gamers get to experience old re-iterations of titles that reflect the older arcade games but also incorporate their own unique aspects.

I definitely think the Xbox Indie marketplace needs more titles like this.

Is anyone else excited about the Minecraft-ish Xbox Indie "FortressCraft" that's to be released soon?

These forums need a direct Reply button so we don't have to go and edit away the quotes each time...

As for the RPG, I sincerely hope someone is planning to do something original with one soon as I'm getting pretty sick of these "Oh, it's just like FFVII" games that keep popping up; Originality is the indie's only weapon but people seem totally reluctant to use it.

Is anyone else excited about the Minecraft-ish Xbox Indie FortressCraft that's to be released soon?

I haven't heard boo about it outside the official announcements; It could be ok and will likely sell pretty well, but I think it's going to take a few installments before it starts getting its own unique flavour and stops being a direct MineClone.I'll definitely grab the play test/ review copy and give it a whirl either way.

Is anyone else excited about the Minecraft-ish Xbox Indie FortressCraft that's to be released soon?

I haven't heard boo about it outside the official announcements; It could be ok and will likely sell pretty well, but I think it's going to take a few installments before it starts getting its own unique flavour and stops being a direct MineClone.I'll definitely grab the play test/ review copy and give it a whirl either way.

Is the Reply button there. I can not see it on my side for some reason

Agreed, very pretty - It'll fun to have a forum to frequent again once things get kicking here. (The apphub forum is nowhere near as interesting for me as it was back in the xnacco days)

The AppHub sucks compared to the old XNA.com forums. There used to be good discussions or lots of questions to answer or just learn from. The new stuff seems mostly full of account issues, complains about GeoTrust, etc. It isn't even close to as lively as it used to be. It makes me sad, I cry a little each day.

Also I posted a pick of my Volcano game yesterday on my Twitter feed... the lava (or should that be magma? ) is now far, far less urine-esque.

A urine themed game would sadly do well. I feel our biggest customers on XBLIG are likely adolescent boys.

That's a big part I believe why many of us are looking at non-Xbox platforms... that's not the market we all want to aim for. When you see some of the stuff that sells well, it just makes you shake your head.

That's a big part I believe why many of us are looking at non-Xbox platforms... that's not the market we all want to aim for.

Exactly right - I want to make EPIC masterpieces that earn enough to fund the next even bigger masterpiece, but all that XBLIG will support is <3week games that are quick and quirky.I think I've found a happy medium in terms of quick and fun games with the Retro-cade thing and I look forward to seeing what I come out with, but my bigger secret project is what I'd prefer to be spending all my time on.

Also they shut down the old XNA forums? Like combined it into the new AppHub thing? If so, that sucks.

They just rolled it into the new uber-bright (and painful to look at) apphub and they managed to kill the sort of community spirit that was present before hand.I barely ever venture on to the site any more; Lucky I have all the people I want to talk to right there on Twitter. (And hopefully they will immigrate into here in time)

Quimby, do you think that it's better for developers to try to focus on multiple games at first--all the while chipping away gradually at a masterpiece game that you'd like to define your game studio?

While not directed at me, I'm gonna give you my three cents as well...

Working on multiple projects goes a long way in keeping you from getting burnt out on one thing. While it does mean that the length of projects will tend to be longer, feeling fresh about a project can lead to better work on that project.

For big projects too, it isn't always just the work on the project but also the project itself needs a lot of thought. Having extra time to allow things to gestate really helps. I've got a big platformer-Metroidvania that I've done some serious work on but am really just letting simmer right now... I have every intention of finishing the game and I'll have many more great ideas when I do get back to it than I would have if I just kept plugging away.

Also working on small games allows you to learn new things and release them more often, thus getting some money that can be funneled into other projects.

Quimby, do you think that it's better for developers to try to focus on multiple games at first--all the while chipping away gradually at a masterpiece game that you'd like to define your game studio?

That's my plan and I think one that definitely has its benefits; As Dr. Mistry found out the other day, sometimes it's nice to have a short little game that's quick and easy to complete to work on when you get frustrated with your bigger project.I plan to be crunching pretty hard in the coming months to get out a few Retrocade titles and have my big secret project in for DBP; It'll be tough, but you gotta aim high.

Also, in the general running of one's indie company, the shorter games will help fund the bigger project; I hope to earn enough through retrocade to outsource my bigger project's art and audio completely so it'll be a seriously polished entry into the market with hopes of using it to establish my company's reputation.

Working on multiple projects goes a long way in keeping you from getting burnt out on one thing. While it does mean that the length of projects will tend to be longer, feeling fresh about a project can lead to better work on that project.